Steven and Sapphire: A New Start
by Mew Ike
Summary: Sapphire has been born and raised in Littleroot Town. When she turned ten, her parents started working outside the Hoenn Region, leaving her to care for her house. She was never able to have a pokemon or friend of her own until Steven Stone, on the verge of death, comes into her life. After saving him, he offers her a chance: to start her pokemon journey with him, to start anew.
1. I Save The Champion!

I had a simple life. I lived alone in my house in Littleroot town. My parents were always away working in other regions, so I knew how to cook, clean, make house payments with the money they sent me, care for the yard, and everything. They called me daily, sent me cool gifts, and from time to time video chatted with me. They were always happy to see me and I was happy to see them, but there was a hole in my heart I could never fill.

I was lonely. I wasn't able to get my first pokemon when I had turned ten. On my tenth birthday, my parents agreed I was old enough to live alone in the Hoenn region. They gave me everything I needed to survive and left to work. They cared a lot, I know that. But my dream was to become a pokemon trainer. I always wanted to become one, but taking care of the house had been all that I lived for. I knew nothing else.

My name is Sapphire. I'm sixteen years old. My hair is brown and my eyes are purple. I have no real life achievements except the various skills I have about living alone. I know a lot about pokemon by the games I play when there's nothing else to do and I already have enough schooling to land me a job somewhere nice, if I ever thought about it. But to be honest, I had no idea what to do. My future was completely blank.

I sat down at the table and started sipping at the tea I made. Mom had made it for me countless times when I was a child, but I haven't been able to taste the richness like I had when I was young. I tied my hair back and sat at the table, alone as I always was.

A knock came at the door. That's weird. I don't usually get guests. I stood up and walked over to it. It was raining cats and dogs outside, who would want to visit me at this time? I unlocked the door, and right away, it opened itself. A man walked in, turned and shut the door. He was soaked to the bone in rainwater, it was like he had just taken a dive in a pool of water. I thought he was invading my house so I started to back away, but the man and I met eyes.

His eyes were a dazzling silver. It was like I was looking into a mirror. There was pain in them, so much pain that I feared that some of the rain on him was tears. He opened his mouth to speak, but a sudden weight consumed him. He fell forward into my arms. He was a lighter than I expected, but he was still heavy enough to bring me to my knees.

"U-um, sir?" I asked. But he had fainted. I started to lift him, but he was too heavy. Even though he was passed out, he was shivering. His skin was stone-cold to my touch. He was going to freeze if something wasn't done quickly.

I panicked for a second. Then, remembering there was no one else here to help, I lie him down on the floor and ran upstairs. My knees were like jelly. Who was he? Why was he here? So many questions that needed an answer but would have to wait. He needed help.

I yanked all the blankets off my bed along with some towels from the bathroom and ran downstairs with them in my arms. They had been grabbed in such a hurry they nearly tripped me. Halfway down the stairs, I tossed them and watched them fall. I couldn't let myself get hurt. Not now, not here, when someone was in desperate need of my help.

The man was still shivering. His silver hair looked like melting ice under all the water. His teeth chattered and his eyes were squeezed shut. Was he in pain? That would have to wait. I grabbed him by the shoulders and held him upright. I threw a towel over his head and worked on drying his silver hair. Thankfully it was short enough to be dried in a minute or two. Then I moved to his clothes.

Oh, Arceus, there was no way I could dry those. Panicking, I unbuttoned his shirt and threw it in the sink. I did the same with his undershirt, but the pants? Yeah, those were just going to have to stay on. That would be too awkward. Besides, he was slowly beginning to calm his shivering. I wrapped the towels around his legs, squeezing them enough so they got as dry as possible, and then worked on moving him. He was lying in a puddle of water so that had to be fixed. There was a carpet in the living room. not only that, but a fireplace. It would be hard, but if I could get him over there, he'd warm up even faster.

I hooked my arms under his and managed to drag him to the fireplace. I quickly switched on the electrical fire and inched him closer. His breathing was irregular but the shivering had stopped completely. I got the last dry towel and dries off his chest. When that was done, I held him upright by the shoulders and covered him with a blanket. When I laid him down by the fire, his breathing turned normal. His eyes relaxed and he curled up into a ball.

I know it was stupid of me to think it at the time, but he was cute. His face was clear of any blemishes or acne and his hair was glossy even after being in the rain. There was no trace of fat on him, just slender muscles and perfect skin. He also had uncanningly beautiful facial features: thick eyelashes and silver eyebrows, smooth skin and pink lips.

I was tired tired after that, all I remember is climbing onto the couch then falling into a peaceful slumber.

The storm passed directly over Littleroot town, leaving the town nearly flooded. The sun was back the next morning, brighter than ever. The sun blinded me into waking up the next morning. Had I been too tired to draw the curtains before I fell asleep? I must've, because they were open wide when I woke up.

What? The man was gone. He wasn't lying in the mess of blankets I had made. In fact, there wasn't a mess. The blankets had been folded, the towels hung over the fireplace to dry, and the room smelt of… syrup?

I sat up in the couch and rubbed my eyes. Then I swung my feet over the side of the bed and stood up. There was definitely some food cooking. The sweet smell of pecha berries was in the air. That, and some sort of meat. Whatever it was, it smelt amazing. My stomach was rumbling at the thought of eating after forgetting to have dinner the night before.

I walked into the kitchen and nearly jumped out of my socks. The man I had saved the night before was there. He was in his clothes, which had somehow been dried and ironed, and he was casually flipping over a pancake he had just drizzled with pecha berries. He heard me enter the room and turned.

"Oh, you're awake." He didn't sound surprised. He greeted me with a kind smile and a tilt of the head. "We can talk over breakfast. I used some of your ingredients, the store hadn't opened yet."

"Y-yeah." I looked at the calendar. "It's Sunday. They won't be open today."

"I forgot about that. I'll pay you back later, then." He turned back to the stove and shut it off. Using a spatula, he moved the pecha pancake on top of the other two he had made before. There were two plates, one with plain pancakes, the other with the berries. "Do you like syrup?"

"U-um, yeah." He started drizzling the plain pancakes with syrup. When he was done, he walked towards the table and set them in front of me. Then he set another plate next to that, a plate of bacon. I blinked in confusion. He saw and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah, I've got some explaining to do." He sat down, placed his pecha pancakes in front of him, and started smearing it with butter. As soon as he was done, he started cutting it into bite-sized pieces. I was puzzled about the whole ordeal, but not as much as I was hungry. I started on the pancakes.

Wow. This guy could cook. It was soft and flavorful like every pancake should be. The syrup had been warmed helped the food melt in my mouth. The bacon was even better. It wasn't crunchy and hard but soft and chewy, bursting with juice. I finished it quickly.

"Quite the appetite," he commented. "Sorry for the rude entrance last night. I'm Steven." I twitched.

"Steven Stone?" I whispered. "The Champion?"

"That would be me, yes." He took a sip of some moomoo milk. Then, "What's your name?"

"Sapphire," I replied, bowing my head. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Stone."

"No need for formalities," he said sweetly. "Call me Steven. Mr. Stone is my father." He offered me some of the orange juice in a cup he had poured for me. I took it and sipped it. "I'd like to explain my situation, if you don't mind."

"No, go right ahead." I was curious about him. He was the Hoenn Champion, and he had somehow just wandered into my house on the verge of death. There was no way I was going to miss out on his story.

"I travel around the region a lot helping the local police force," he started. "It's usually fairly easy work. My pokemon can help me in some tight situations. I was in the middle of battling a criminal when the rain started to pour. He got away while I tried to find my way through the rain and darkness and I had no choice but to come to your house." He paused. "I hope you aren't offended by anything done last night."

"I couldn't really be offended by anything," I conceded. "You were in need of help. I wouldn't ignore anyone in need." I met his eyes.

Something in the air seemed to change. When our eyes met, his widened slightly. I felt my heart beat hard in my chest, like a burst of adrenaline had suddenly been triggered. His face turned red and just like that, mine did, too. We both looked away. For a few minutes we didn't have the nerve to talk. I put my hand on my chest. This feeling... I had never felt it before. But I liked it. It felt good.

"Who do you live with?" Steven suddenly asked. I looked from him then directly to the rest of the food on the table.

"My parents," I said too quickly. I forced myself to calm down and take a deep breath. "They aren't home a lot. I'm lucky if I see them twice a year."

"So you're alone." He tapped his fingers against the table. "Do you have a pokemon of your own, by any chance?"

"No. I've wanted one, but I never really got around to it." I looked about the room. "I can't really leave here. My parents need someone to take care of the house." He didn't say anything to that. "But enough about me. Are you feeling well?" He smiled faintly.

"Much better thanks to you." There was a pause. "You saved my that, do you?"

"I do," I answered. "But it's no big deal. I did what anyone else would've."

"I'd like to repay you."

"What?" I held up my hands. "No, no. It's nothing, really. I don't need to-"

"I can take you away from here." I stopped talking when he said that. "You don't see it, but I do. You hate it here. You want to be a trainer. You want to see the world. I can have it arranged that someone looks after your house. My friend, Professor Birch, can give you a pokemon. Would you like that?" I stared at him. The expression on my face was completely surprised. Steven stood up and walked over to my side of the table. He held out his hand to me, silver eyes soft. "Come with me, Sapphire. Let me show you this world."

I don't know what I was thinking. I had been born and raised in this house. There were so many happy memories. This was my home. But I wanted to leave it so bad. So I took his hand. And we began our adventure.


	2. I Join The Hoenn Secret Force!

Chapter 2

"Yes, I know. I know. Ok. I will. I love you, too. Ok. Bye." I hung up the phone. My parents had been confused about the whole ordeal with the champion and I, but they were more than happy that I was getting out of the house. Steven had given me a PokeNav, a device his father designed that worked similar to the telephone in my house, but with more features. I was able to add my parents' numbers along with the champions', who waited patiently outside.

As soon as I was ready, having packed several articles of clothing, some snacks, and other items I might've needed for the road, I slung them over my back and started towards the door. This house had been good to me all the years, but my parents and I both agreed it was time for me to get out on my own. When I stepped out of it and locked it behind me, there was little regret in handing the key over to the man Steven had hired to care for it while I was gone.

No regret whatsoever.

"Are you ready, Sapphire?" Steven asked, approaching me. I nodded. The determination I felt in my chest was making me anxious, but not enough to turn back. Nothing could make me stay. Not now, not ever. He noticed that and raised his eyebrows slightly. "Nothing is holding you back, is it?"

"Nothing," I agreed, balling my fists softly. I didn't say it at the time, but I was happy. Happier than I ever remember being. My legs were antsy, itching to run and get as far from there as possible. My mind was racing, trying to imagine what the world looked like past this tiny city.

"Good," Steven said. "First stop, Professor Birch. He'll get you your first pokemon." Then he started off towards the lab near my house. I followed right on his heels. It took less than five minutes to get there, and when we did, the professor himself opened the door for us. "Nice to see you again, Professor." It sounded as if they hadn't seen each other in quite a while. The professor smiled, his brown hair and beard combed in an obvious hurry.

"It is always good to see you, Steven," the professor looked about thirty years old but his voice was full of energy. Maybe I was mistaken and he was in his early twenties. "I've got to get out in the field today so we'll make this quick, if you don't mind."

"Not a problem." Steven turned to me, ready to speak.

"Torchic," I said quickly, then added to be more polite, "I want the fire type. You know, as a starter." Steven blinked in surprise. He thought I had made the decision hastily, but I had spent the past hour packing thinking about which one I wanted the most. Nothing could make me more certain than picking Torchic, who I had idolized since I was ten. Steven's expression changed to a soft smile.

"Of course," he said. "I should've guessed."

"Well, good thing you picked that one," Birch said, reaching into his pocket. "I have that one right here. She's pretty energetic, a lot like you." He pulled out a pokeball and handed it to me. He opened his mouth to speak again, but I was already prepared to answer.

"Luna," I said. "Her name will be Luna." Professor Birch looked surprised. Then he laughed loudly, as if I had said something hilarious.

"Wow, you've had this planned for a while, haven't you? That's amazing!" He turned to Steven. "You really found someone who's ready for the journey ahead." He looked to me. "Why'd you pick Torchic?"

"Low defence but impossibly high attack when fully evolved. When it becomes Blaziken, it is also a dual-type, unlike Treeko. And I think the dual-type swampert has a huge disadvantage against grass types because of the combination." The two of them stared at me. I smiled awkwardly and attached the pokeball to my belt. "I mean, uh, I like fire types."

"Right," Professor Birch said with a smile on his kisser. "Well, you two better get going. There's a long road ahead." Then he disappeared inside his lab. Steven started the two of us down the trail that would lead out of the town and onto the path to Odale.

"You sound like you know your stuff," Steven commented. "How much did you say you played those pokemon video games?" I didn't want to tell him the truth to avoid looking like a nerd, but I forced myself to be honest.

"A lot," I answered. "Every day or whenever I had free time. I've fully completed each game that's ever come out, including the little spin offs."

"And you have never had a pokemon of your own?"

"No." We approached the tall grass that stood in our path to Odale. I took a deep breath and pulled out my pokeball. Before I had even called her out, the torchic Birch had given me jumped out and landed by my feet. I leaned down to her height and pat her on the head. "Hey there. I'm Sapphire. Mind if I call you Luna?"

The bird pokemon narrowed her eyes at me. I didn't understand pokemon that much, but I could tell that was a definite no. I pulled my hand back. "What do you want to be called?" She turned her head to the side defiantly. "Alright, I call you Torchic for now." The grass to my left shuffled. "Hey, how about a battle?" I don't know what it was about battling, but she started jumping up and down, excited. "Alright!" I stood up and a poochyena jumped from the bushes. "Torchic, use- um?"

The dark type pokemon ran right past us and into another set of bushes, yipping in alarm. I was confused but surprise took over when four wurmple, two more poochyena, and a zigzagoon pass by me. I turned to see where they went and got backhanded by a human hand. Thinking I was subdued, whoever had hit me grabbed and tossed me to the side. They weren't expecting me to grab them back.

I met their gaze. They had dark red eyes and a hood over their dark navy hair. They had horns stitched onto the top of their maroon hood, giving them a more intimidating look. I, however wasn't intimidated. I pulled back my fist and hit them square in the jaw, breaking it right off the hinges. I don't know if you've heard someone scream with a broken jaw, but it's not pleasant. I grabbed their arms as soon as they released me and pinned them to the ground. It all happened so fast that Torchic didn't move out of the way until I nearly landed right on top of her. She chirped in alarm and scurried away.

"What on Earth?" Steven leaned down to the man I had subdued. "You took down a Team Magma grunt without even thinking! Why?"

"Pokemon don't flee in groups from people just passing through," I explained. "It's obvious he was up to no good." Steven took the man's arm from my grip, bending it so it was no longer at a painful angle. He breathed heavily through his slack jaw, words incomprehensible. "I honestly didn't mean to hit that hard."

"I'm glad you did," Steven admitted. He pulled a pair of handcuffs he had hidden in his backpocket out and began to apprehend the suspect. "He's just who we needed."

"Since when does the champion carry handcuffs?" I glanced at the perp he was arresting. "And what's Team Magma?"

"I'll explain when we get to Odale," he said, standing the grunt up. "There's too many people around here. Train your pokemon while we're on the way." He started walking the grunt through the grass. The goon was trying to say something, but it came out garbled. "We'll fix your jaw when we get there, too." Steven looked to me. "Clear the way with Torchic."

The fire pokemon didn't need to be told twice. She darted into the brush and started using growl. I chased after her, shouting, "Keep that up! Each pokemon you see, use tackle! That's it! Growl, tackle! Growl, tackle!" She chirped in glad agreeance.

It took us a total of half an hour to reach Odale town. And I'm glad to say, there was no way we could have made it any better. Torchic took out so many pokemon. Halfway through, pokemon were trying to hide deeper in the bushes to avoid being fainted. From the looks of it, she was particularly fond of attacking wurmples. She liked the challenge of having to avoid the poison points. She seemed to have quick the experience in it as well, because she didn't get poisoned once. By the time we reached the town, she had been only hit twice and learned ember. She chirped in joy and jumped into my arms once we were out of the shrubbery.

"I now understand why you didn't like Luna as a name," I said. "You're not as calm and cool as the name suggests. You're fiery, like embers. Like fire." I took a moment to think. "Cinder. How do you like the name Cinder?" The pokemon ruffled her feathers in my arms, nearly purring in joy. "Then it's settled. Your name is Cinder!" I held her in the air. "Welcome to the team!"

Steven walked up beside me. "Follow me. I've arranged to meet with some commanding officers in the pokecenter."

"Oh, right!" I returned Cinder to her pokeball and started off towards the center. I got there first to heal her before Steven urged me to one of the rooms that had the door slightly opened. It was set up like any other pokecenter room: a bed, a desk, a few pokemon beds, and some older, boring paintings. There was a man in there, however. He had the same silver hair and eyes as Steven, but he was a lot older, like an elder. He was talking on a PokeNav but abruptly hung up when we entered the room. He stood up, slightly taller than me and about the same height as Steven. His wise eyes met mine, sizing me up. I could sense he had not been informed about me coming.

"What is your name, young lady?" he asked. Though he was old his voice powerful, strong. I bowed my head slightly.

"I'm Sapphire," I explained. He blinked. It was obvious he had no clue why I was here.

"She's a new pokemon trainer," Steven finally explained. "She's also a new recruit for the Hoenn Secret Force." Now the old man and I were both dumbfounded. We turned to the champion who had a know-it-all smile on his lips. He pushed the Team Magma grunt forward. "This man tried to attack her when she wasn't expecting it. She broke his jaw and subdued him without even thinking about it. Her knowledge of pokemon is impeccable. I want her to be on my squad so I can train her."

"Her, on your team?" Now the old man was speaking like I wasn't even there. I tried to ease into the shadows. The air was getting heavy with something I didn't like. "Steven, there are multiple others who can accompany you. Some are born into the Force. Others have been in it so long they don't know how to live outside it. Why would you choose her over all of those amazing personnel?"

"Sapphire saved my life the other night," Steven explained. "I entered her house uninvited, on the verge of hypothermia, and she helped me even though it was clear she had no idea who I was." The old man narrowed his eyes.

"You're telling me you think this girl can be a great addition to the force?" Steven nodded with his eyes closed.

"I don't think: I know she will."

"Um, excuse me?" I asked, interrupting them. "What's going on?"

"I'm sorry," the man said. "I figured Steven hadn't told you this yet." He sighed. "I'm Mr. Stone, Steven's father. I'm the head of the Hoenn Secret Force, a group of extremely talented trainers who defend this region from larger threats. We're not known to the public because we try to keep the peace. If we went out and told everybody who and what we were chasing, there'd be nationwide panic."

"And you want me to join?" I asked, looking towards Steven. "I thought you were just helping me become a trainer."

"At first I was," he admitted. "Then I realized your amazing potential. I've been looking for a partner for some time now. I want you to take the position. What do you say, Sapphire?"

"You can't ask her right when she was just told what the Force is," Mr. Stone scolded.

"But, I sorta want to." They both froze.

"What… did you say?" Mr. Stone asked in a low whisper.

"I want to join the force." I met Steven's eyes. The mirror-like depths searched mine for any trace of fear. He didn't find any. "You helped me leave that house. It'd be boring to join the Hoenn League like everyone else. I want to leave my mark." Steven smiled.

"That's what I like about you, Sapphire. You're brave." He met eyes with his dad. "Well, Dad?" The leader of the Force looked like he was about to turn it down, but I turned to him. I gave him the most determined, courageous look I could. At first, he considered turning it down. Then he sighed.

"Fine. Welcome to the Force." He turned to the wall. "I'll get your registration done in Rustboro. Meet me there. Do not disappoint me." Then he grabbed the culprit and walked out the door. Leaving Steven and I to ourselves.

I'll admit, I was pretty damn excited.


	3. Partners Now, More Later?

Chapter 3

Steven stopped me before we exited the pokemon center room. "You aren't to tell anyone about the force. We don't need to cause panic."

"What exactly are we after?" I asked. "You said that guy was a part of Team Magma?" He took a moment to think. Then he put a hand on my shoulder. I don't know what it was, but my face began to feel hot.

"I guess now that you're my partner, I should explain fully. Sit down." He gestured to the bed. When I was settled, he pulled up a seat at the desk. As soon as he figured out the speech in his head, he began explaining. "Team Magma believes that the world can live without the ocean. Their rivals, Team Aqua, believe we can live without the land. They've disputed things like this in the past, but we were stupid to ignore them. They grew in numbers, in popularity, in wealth. They are now two fully organized parties of thugs and criminals. They steal what they want and take what they need. To our knowledge, the two of them are trying to expand the land or expand the sea. How they are going to do so, we have no idea. But we have been asked to investigate and stop them before it gets too out of hand."

"So the night you ended up at my house," I started, "you were really chasing one of them?" He nodded.

"I would've had him if the rain hadn't started up suddenly." He looked at his knees. "That's another problem with the two teams. Whenever they're in trouble, they each have an item that can change the weather. I wasn't able to see it clearly last night, but I didn't know how dangerous it was until it soaked me to the bone." He paused. "Thank you again for your help, Sapphire."

I started to blush. I couldn't speak for a second, then I cleared my throat. "I know you'd do the same for me." This time, he blushed. The two of us looked away again. Why was this happening? Why did I feel a swirling sensation in my chest every time he said my name. Oh, no.

Was I beginning to like him?

He stood, head still turned to the side. "We have to meet my father in Rustboro. Knowing him, he'll probably want to test to see how well you fight." He started towards the door. "We're going to start on the way to Petalburg." He opened it and looked to me. I stood up and exited first. For someone of high rank and probably a ton of money, he was courteous. Maybe that's what I liked about him. Or no, maybe it was his cooking. Wait, what was I thinking? I tapped the side of my head, snapping me back to reality.

We walked out of the pokecenter and west, where Petalburg was located. Steven walked up to my side, as if he wanted to pass me. I let him take the lead, but he looked back at me with a confused expression.

"Your legs already tired?"

"Um, no. I just thought you were taking the lead."

"Oh." He paused. "Stay by my side from now on. It's better to talk that way." He turned away right when I started blushing. From the way he had finished that speech, I could tell he was blushing, too. I was afraid to approach him at first, but when I got up to his side, his face was clear of expression. I forced myself to do the same. "So have you lived in Littleroot all this time?"

"Yeah, my entire life in that house."

"Why didn't your parents take you with them to work?" he asked. "I'm sure what they're doing isn't too dangerous."

"They don't like to talk about work." Steven went silent at that. "I honestly have no idea what they do. I just know they're gone a lot but they can call every day. They send me gifts from other regions sometimes." I put a finger to my lip in thought. "Now that you think of it, I don't even think they're from other- WAH!" Steven grabbed me by the arm and threw me on the ground.

I freaked out and kicked him in the stomach. He put a hand over his stomach, surprised. I swept my foot under his and knocked him to the ground. From there, I held Cinder's pokeball to his face (it being the only real weapon I had), and bared my teeth. He put his hands up, showing defeat.

"What the hell?!" I shouted. "I thought we were partners!"

"We are," he said calmly. "I told you already, you need to be trained." He pushed the pokeball out of his face. "You're better than I expected, I'll admit that. Most people would just sit there and be attacked." He smiled. "Where did you learn these moves?"

"I learned karate from age six till about two years ago when we were short on money for lessons." I released him. "I never stopped practicing, though. Had enough free time to keep up the forms and whatever."

"So you're a black belt."

"Second degree black belt," I corrected. He blinked in surprise. "What? Don't you have those on the Force or whatever?"

"Two," he said. "Me and my father. And we're only first degree."

"Does that mean I outrank you?" I asked jokingly. He smiled slightly.

"In karate, yes. In the Force, no." He grabbed me and flipped me onto the grass. I rolled, grabbed the arm he hung onto me with, and flipped him over me as soon as I landed. In unison, we released each other and rolled opposite ways. We each took to a knee and made eye contact. "Think you can take me out?"

"If I really wanted to, yes."

"Why don't you want to?" he asked, slowly easing to the side. I went opposite. We began circling each other, eyes blazing in determination. "Do you think you can hurt me?"

"I don't know, you almost threw up when I kicked you in the stomach," I challenged. He smiled.

"I was taken by surprise. I'm not underestimating you anymore." We stopped. A gentle breeze wafted through the air, carrying the faintest hint of the sea past Petalburg. "Do me a favor. Don't be afraid to hurt me. I want to see your potential."

"I can't guarantee you won't end up in the hospital."

"Go ahead and try." He stood taller and opened his arms. "I'll let you come at me. Take your best shot." I narrowed my eyes, thinking. Then I grabbed a pokeball from my waist. "Oh, that's what you wanna do? Then I suppose I can battle-" I threw the ball halfway through his speech, but he wasn't expecting it to be empty. Cinder's pokeball was right next to the ball I had thrown, the one that hit him square in the forehead.

He tried to not flinch when it hit him, but for that split second he blinked, I darted across the grabbed and grabbed him around the waist. With him in my arms, I steadied myself and threw him onto the ground. The victor was about to be shown until Steven grabbed me by the collar and pulled me down with him. He fell flat on his back and me on top of him. I sat on his stomach, forced to lean forward because of his grip on me.

We both froze. There the two of us were, lying hidden in the tall grass, all alone. I was sitting on his stomach with my knees bent under me. Our faces were only a few inches apart, and for some reason, he no longer felt the need to attack me. His face started turning red, possibly redder than mine. There was no looking away this time. He tried to keep his cool, but it was slowly fading.

"I'll… um.. get up now," I said, standing. I held my hand out to him. He took it, averting his gaze. We both turned the opposite way, trying to calm ourselves. At first, I thought it was just me. I thought I was the idiotic one to start liking the champion. I'm sure other girls had crushes on him. Much bigger ones than I did. I bet most of them would've recognized him right away if he fell at their doorstep. I hardly even recognized him. He's the strongest trainer in the region. And me? I was a simple child taking care of a house while my parents worked. I wasn't a trainer. I have nothing in my life to show for. There was no way he considered me anything more than a partner.

But now, seeing how he was acting after something like that, I had an odd feeling. This mutual awkwardness, the blushing, the immediate friendship. I began to feel it was true.

Steven was beginning to fall for me, too.

I looked back at him the same time he did. I saw his silver eyes panic for a second, then regain their calm. I hoped mine were doing the same.

"We should get back on the road," he said. "We'll call it a tie for now." He paused, then finally let his smile emerge. "How's that sound?"

"Next time, I won't lose," I said. My grin became clear. "I won't lose to a first degree."

"You'd be surprised who you can lose to." He walked past me then stopped. "Coming?"

"Yeah." I pulled up beside him and we both started off towards Petalburg city. There was a change between us that day, and I'll be completely honest about it.

I was glad Steven had picked me as his partner.


	4. I Get My First Kiss?

Chapter 4

We got to Petalburg city without too much conversation after that. It was awkward enough after what happened with our little brawl. The city was actually pretty cute. There were a lot of ponds where the corphish splashed about and played what looked like tag with each other. The hedges were neatly trimmed and the houses kept clean and fresh. The wonderful scent of the ocean filled my nostrils. I inhaled, savoring the scent. The only oddity of this town was the gym, which must've been built before the other houses because of how old it looked. Pieces of paint were chipping off, the roof whistled in the breeze, and the door was splintering.

"When the last gym leader retired," Steven started, "he didn't leave much money to fix up the gym. He was quite the aggressive battler, as you can see." Steven put a hand on his hip, scanning the gym with disapproving eyes. "I hope this new gym leader puts in some work to fix it."

"Is that him?" I asked, pointing to a man that was carrying two paint buckets. He wore a maroon jacket with a collar popped halfway to his cheek, black jeans with a hole or two in them, and more grease on his head than hair. He set the two buckets down on the entrance to the gym and began taking in the sight of his surroundings. The door had to be worked on, the arch was broken, the windows cracked, and the paint there in particular in need of several more coats.

Without a second thought, he raised his foot and kicked the door straight through the middle. His leg went straight through, splintering wood and rendering the door utterly worthless. I was surprised how fast Steven was at his side.

"What on Earth are you doing, Norm?!" he scolded under his breath. I approached, keeping a good distance. I wasn't sure how Steven reacted when he was angry, so there was a chance I could get on his bad side.

"Renovations," Norm replied. "The door would have to be shaved down paper thin to look any good. I thought the best way to fix it would be to get a new one."

"But breaking the door achieves...?"

"I need some firewood for wife. The storm hit us hard last night and our heater isn't in the best of shape after it." The gym leader reached forward and pulled the door right off its hinges like some sort of monster. He turned towards Steven, nearly decapitating me with the block of wood, and smiled. "You know my name already, but I'll do this just for the hell of it. I'm Norm, the new Petalburg Gym Leader." He held out a hand that Steven took right away.

"Steven Stone. Pleased to meet you."

"Huh. You're the champion." Norm sounded a bit surprised. "Pretty young for one, I'd say. What are you? Sixteen?"

"Nineteen. Youngest ever in this region. Only beaten otherwise by Red in kanto. He got it when he was ten." Norm threw his head back in a laugh. From where I was crouched, he nearly slammed me into the ground like a whack-a-mole, so I scurried away and by Steven's side. The leader saw me and blinked. "Hey, you're that girl from Littleroot. Sapphire, is it?"

"O-oh, yes." I shook his hand when he offered it. "I'm not really famous around here. How'd you know my name?"

"My son and wife live next door to you. Moved in yesterday. He saw ya leaving your house and went to say hi, but you weren't home. I guess it's cuz you came here."

"Son?"

"Yeah. Oddly enough, we named him Ruby." I made an odd face. I thought being named after a stone was weird enough. But to have someone next door to me have a name like it, too? The coincidence was just outrageous. "He should be here soon to help me paint the place. You feel like lending a hand?" He held out two brushes that hadn't touched paint yet. I grabbed mine right away. "Ah, she's got the idea."

"I would join you, Norm," Steven said, nudging me discreetly with his elbow, "but Sapphire and I have to head to Rustboro to talk to my father. We have some things to settle." Norm got a faint shine in his eye.

"Ah, I see it now." He poked me in the forehead with the other brush. "You two haven't told him you're dating yet." My face turned so hot that I could almost feel it tanning. My lip twitched and my eyes went wide. Steven just raised his eyebrows.

"I don't know where you got that from, Norman, but I can assure you we are not dating."

"Not yet." He leaned down to be at even height with my eyes. "By the looks of Sapphire here, it won't be long before you two get the grooves for each other. Trust me, I'm a father. I can tell these things." Now Steven was blushing. He managed to wipe it off his face in record time, however.

"Norman."

"Right, right. Champion business." The gym leader stood up and leaned back with his hands on his back, popping his spine in multiple places. Now my face wasn't red, it was pale. What sort of gym leader was he? He was unusual, that's for sure.

I was about to comment on his terrible display when someone shouted in my direction. I turned to look in the direction of the voice. Next thing I know, I'm being knocked off my feet, wind yanked from my lungs, and dropped onto the ground. I was able to break the fall, but as soon as my arms went out to the side, the boy who had tackled me fell right onto me.

An awkward and accidental kiss followed.

The two of us opened our eyes and both slowly pulled away, twitching in complete bewilderment. He was young, maybe a year or two younger than me. His eyes were sickly pale and his hair was an odd sort of lighter green. The coat he wore was dirty, as if he had just been rolling around in the grass for quite some time. He opened his mouth to speak, but his throat caught and he lifted his arm to cough. It wasn't just a normal cough, it was an extremely wet and sickly one.

I sat up with him on my lap. This kid was tiny. He had no weight to him either. I pat him on the back, hitting different spots so it better cleared his airway of any mucus that was clogging his lungs. He managed to cough up whatever was harming him, but for some reason, his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fainted in my arms. I tried waking him up, but he was out like a light. Though I was concerned, he was breathing peacefully.

"Oh, thank goodness!" A woman and a man in their mid-thirties ran up to me and kneeled to my height. "She caught him! She stopped him!" The woman took my hand and started shaking it up and down with unnecessary strength. "Thank you! Thank you! Whoever you are, thank you!"

I hadn't noticed because everything had gone by so fast, but Steven and Norman's jaws had dropped to the floor in surprise. I wasn't sure which part it was directed at, but they were still fairly surprised. Steven moved a few strands of hair from his eyes and dropped to the lady's height.

"Ma'am, is this your son?" he asked in a calm, soothing tone. I know this guy had a smooth voice to start, but hearing him use it to calm someone else was soothing me as well. The lady turned to him, her husband's arm over her shoulder, and nodded.

"Yes. Our Wally is a very sick child, he has been since birth. He's always out running away to try and show he's not sick, and when he does, he usually ends up like how he is now. I'm glad she caught him before he hurt himself!" She shook my hand again. "Thank you, again, young lady!"

"O-oh, no problem." I still had young Wally in my arms. Sick? Like gravely sick? The thought of someone who looked this innocent and young dying haunted me. "Is he going to be ok?"

"I'm afraid here, no." Wally's father took him from my hands and cradled the boy like he was a baby. He was small enough to do so. Now it looked as if he was just sleeping, as the green-haired kid curled up in his father's arm and sighed. The man turned to his wife. "We'll have to send him to your sister. The air in Verdanturf should be good on his lungs."

"We can't send him there by himself," she protested. "He'll never make it." That's when Norman stepped in.

"Have you tried giving him a pokemon?" The two parents stared at the new Gym Leader like he had offered them an obviously stupid solution. "He looks old enough to have one. Would it make you two feel better and I gave him one of the pokemon I caught on the way here?" He held up a pokeball.

"Wally is too weak to hope to ever be a trainer," his mom protested. "But then again…"

"He has been wanting one for a while." His dad stopped to think. "You're the new Gym Leader, right?"

"Yes. I'm Norman."

"Then will you take him to Verdanturf with that pokemon?" His dad sounded like he was beginning to beg. The looks on their faces said it all: if Wally wasn't to get to Verdanturf, he wouldn't last long. And from the look on Norman's face, it was impossible to do.

"I'll take him." Steven nearly got whiplash turning to meet my eyes. I stared at him with an intense look before turning to the desperate pair of parents. "Steven and I are heading to Rustboro. We'll stop and get him through the tunnel they have under construction while we're there." Steven was shocked at the offer, but from the corner of my eye I could see him slowly considering it. He crossed his arms.

"We would be glad to have him." The champion probably hated me for offering something so hefty, but at the same time he didn't seem to mind. He wanted to help Wally. "I can assure you, he'd be safe with us." Norman looked between the group of people.

"Are we in agreeance?" he asked. The two parents looked to each other, grim faces tight, then nodded. When they finished, they looked to us.

"You can take Wally with you," the father spoke. "But it had to be tomorrow. He needs a good nights' rest before he can travel."

"We understand," Steven accepted. "We'll meet in the pokemon center first thing in the morning. Be sure to pack any medication he'll need and write what he needs to take for us, just in case something happens." The two of them nodded again. Then, without a goodbye, the family took off towards the end of town that Wally had run from.

Norman, Steven, and I were consumed by silence until they had entered their house and disappeared inside. In fact, Steven and I wouldn't have even spoken if Norm hadn't nudged the champion with his elbow and whispered loud enough for me to hear, "You got a little bit of a love rival now, huh?"

Steven and I blushed wildly. "Norman," he whispered.

"Right, right. Champion business." The Gym Leader picked up his paint buckets. "Well, I've had enough excitement for today, the painting of the gym will be done first thing tomorrow." He set the buckets beside the wall and then pulled the demolished door from the frame. "I'll be taking this home. See you in the morning." Then he hauled the wooden scrap over his shoulder and started off eastwards, leaving Steven and I.

This time, there was no silence.

"Next time, ask for permission," Steven scolded. I turned to him and bowed my head slightly. "This time, however, I can see why you did what you did." I met his eyes. The silver depths were soft and understanding. "You are caring. I respect you for that." Then he turned away and started towards the pokemon center. I could see him blushing all the way to the back of this neck. I didn't follow. I stood there and wiped off my lips.

My first kiss was with someone I hadn't even spoken to yet.

Was he contagious?


	5. Steven's In Pain? Why? I'll Help!

Chapter 5

I met up with Steven later that night in the pokemon center. He had just walked away from the counter when I walked in. It was getting late and the stars were beginning to gleam. It had been quite the eventful day. I had joined a secret police force, made partners with the champion, and kissed a boy on accident. Enough for one month, let alone a single day. I was just picturing a hot show in one of the pokemon center's luxurious rooms when Steven approached me with a single key between his fingers.

"I got our room," he said. Excuse me? Our room? Like… we had the same one? As in we were going to be sharing a room? And a bathroom? He must've saw the expression on my face, because he began explaining. "I'm the target for a lot of wanted criminals. As are you now. To keep each other safe, Dad recommends we sleep in the same room. It's easier to watch each others backs that way."

"R-right." I tried not to sound nervous. Oh sweet Arceus. Spending the night in a room with a guy? Not to mention I was beginning to like him. How was I going to get any shut eye like that?

"Also, I get the shower first."

"Eh?" I questioned, confused. He smiled.

"You heard me. I'm your higher rank, so I get to use the utilities first." He started towards the room. I wasn't sure if he was trying to flaunt his authority or just be playful, so I kept my mouth shut and followed. He entered and started towards the bathroom. I waited for the door to shut behind him and the shower water to start before I sat down on the bed and let the freaking out begin.

Oh, sweet arceus. I couldn't handle this. I had a hard time having sleepovers as a kid because of how much I loved having my own room, my own space. But here, with the champion of the Hoenn region? I considered asking him to get another room, but would I be insulting him? Challenging his authority? Either way I looked at it, I was stuck. Well, at least I'd have my own bed. I stood up and gathered my things, ready to get my own space prepared for sleep.

Oh no.

There was only one bed.

One king-sized bed.

I hid my face in my hands and tried not to panic. "It's ok, it's ok," I told myself. "I'll just sleep on the floor. There's plenty of room there." I shuffled through my belongings. Thank goodness! I had packed a blanket. It wasn't too fancy, but it would do. There were two pillows on the bed as well, so I had something to rest my head on. I forced myself to take several deep breaths. It'd be alright.

Steven stepped out of the bathroom in his day clothes. I guess he felt just as awkward about having to sleep in the same room with someone as the opposite gender as well. There'd be no pajamas on either of us tonight, or for the next couple nights for that matter. He saw me making the bed on the ground and paused. I pretended like I hadn't heard him come in and continued. Right when I began to lie down, he put a hand on my shoulder.

"I may be your higher rank," he started, "but you're still a woman. I'll take the floor." Um. What? Was he…? Wow. This guy was a real gentleman. I turned to him, opening my mouth in protest. "Don't try and tell me otherwise. I won't allow you to sleep on the floor." There was a pause.

"Oh, um…" I started shaking. "Th-thank you!" My words were far too loud but heavy in gratitude. Steven nodded with a smile on his face and set his old clothes on the desk.

"Go take your shower. I'll probably be asleep when you come out." I nodded at him, unable to speak. When I entered the bathroom, I just stood there like an idiot for who knows how long. I had my back to the door, hand to my chest where my heart was beating wildly. My face was red and the swirling sensation in my chest making me feel relaxed. It was true then, wasn't it? I was really falling for this guy, wasn't I? I leaned my head back on the door.

Was it real?

I took my shower and got out quite a bit later. Letting the hot water run over my shoulders and back soothed the stress of the day off. When I got out, I took my time drying off and brushing my hair so it dried right. Then I slipped on some new day clothes and walked out back into the bedroom.

Steven was asleep on his back, head to the side, breathing peacefully. He looked even younger in his sleep. I wondered if that's what I looked like, too. I tip-toed over to the bed and lie down on it. It was so soft and warm. How in the world was Steven able to turn down a bed as great as this for a floor that barely had a rug to it? I looked down at him.

Mr. Stone had said Steven had been offered partners before. Probably better ones than me. Much better. What made him want me instead? He didn't know I was a black belt, and I certainly hadn't been on the Force for some while. Did he just pity my empty life? I really hoped not. That would mean he didn't… well, like me. I paused my thoughts.

I was falling for him.

I got under the covers of the bed and started curling up in a ball. I closed my eyes. The sound of Steven breathing was soothing. It would actually be much easier to fall asleep with him in the room. I was freaking out about it before. That was stupid. This was much more peaceful and comforting than that empty house back home.

Sleep had almost overtaken me when I heard Steven sit up. I turned over to see what was going on, and I saw that he was gripping his chest like he was in some terrible pain. I sat up in my bed, thinking he wanted me to call somebody, but he stopped me. He held a hand up, the other gripping his chest painfully, and sat there, chin tucked to his chest. I couldn't see his expression, but by the subtle noises he was making, it was obvious that he was in pain.

"Are you ok?" I asked.

"Ye… yeah." He used his free arms to turn away. "G… Go back to sleep. I'm f-fine." I paused, considering his offer. Then, with my eyebrows touching, I got onto the ground and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't!" he hissed, glaring at me over his shoulder. My chest throbbed painfully when I saw that he had tears streaming from his eyes. "I don't… I don't need any help!" His voice was raised dangerously. What on Earth was going on? Was he having a heart attack?

Either way, I wasn't going to let him suffer. I leaned forward and turned him towards me. He looked down towards the floor so his hair covered his face.

"What's going on?" I asked. He just shook his head. "Well, if you aren't going to tell me, then just listen. Breathe deeply." He tightened up, purposely rebelling against what I had instructed him to do. I put a hand on his chest. His chest was so tight it was rock hard. It wasn't a heart attack: it was just anxiety built up. "Breathe, Steven. I want to help." He paused, then, looking to the side, he took in a deep breath. It barely did anything to ease his pain, so I told him to do it again. He did it every time I told him to, or else he would just sit there and take in short, panicked breaths.

After a few minutes of that, he lie back down. His face was still covered by hair, but I could tell that he was much better. He nearly collapsed on the bed from exhaustion. He was so tired, I covered him up and he didn't even adjust it when it had been placed. It felt like I was taking care of him again the night that he ended up at my doorstep. He curled up into a ball and sighed. Thank goodness. He could breathe again.

I stood up, ready to get back to bed, but Steven grabbed my hand and tugged me back to the floor. One eye was visible from his thick hair. He narrowed it dangerously at me.

"Don't ever tell anyone what you just saw," he whispered threateningly. I blinked at him.

"Why would I do that?" I found the courage to squeeze his hand gently. "I'm your partner." He didn't say anything. "I won't tell anyone. I promise." Then, without waiting for a response, I stood up and got into my bed.

Half an hour went by and I could tell that Steven still hadn't fallen asleep. It took another half hour to think about out what to do, but I managed to figure out what had to be done. I held my hand down to Steven, took his warm hand in mine, and squeezed it. It took a while, a long, panicky while, but he finally squeezed back. Then the both of us fell asleep.

Our hands never separated.


	6. Falling Deeper In Love!

Chapter 6

I woke up first the next day. Steven still had his warm hand in mine, and even though he was asleep, he gripped my hand like a toddler. I let him hold it for a few more minutes as I observed how calm he looked. What had happened that made him so pained last night? He was having an anxiety, no, a full blown panic attack. It was like he was dying, and he didn't want my help. What could have triggered something so drastic?

It was when I pulled away my hand that he woke up. He saw my face first and blinked, groggy and confused. Then memories of the night before came to him and his eyes averted immediately. He sat up and turned the other way.

"What?" I said, standing up. "Are you ok?"

"Sapphire," he said quickly, interrupting me. "You promised not to tell anyone. I hope you see to it you keep that promise." There was a pause.

"I never break a promise," I replied. This time, he paused.

"I hope I didn't interrupt your sleep." Wow. He was actually concerned for me? Then these things must've happened before. Has he had these before while he was alone? The thought of him sitting in a room having a panic attack of that magnitude was scary.

"You didn't interrupt it," I assured. "I was still awake."

"Good." He paused then turned to me. His smile was kind. "Thank you, Sapphire." My heart started beating again.

"O-oh, no problem."

"Let's see if Wally and them are awake," he continued, changing the subject. When both our bags were packed, we left the room. Nurse Joy had just taken the key from Steven when the front door to the center opened and Wally walked in, his parents behind him. The boy looked pale until he saw me. Then his face broke out into embarrassed heat. His eyes turned to his feet, where he toyed with his shoes. Steven and I approached the parents. They handed me a bag of pills and inhalers. There was a paper inside that instructed which ones to take and when to use them, along with how much. Wow, this kid had a whole pharmacy in his backpack.

"Be sure not to leave him by himself," his mom reminded. "He'll need to be watched at all times. Don't forget."

"We won't," Steven assured. As his Dad put on Wally's backpack, the kid crossed his arms and looked to the side, pouting. He obviously didn't want to go with us. As his parents went over some important medical information with Steven, I held out my hand to Wally. The kid looked at me oddly.

"Sorry about yesterday," I said. "I didn't mean to scare you like that." He blinked in surprise.

"I was the one that tackled you," he mumbled, looking to the side again. "Why are you even helping me? I don't even know you. I can make it there fine by myself."

"I have a feeling you know that's a lie." He stared at me, eyes narrowed. "Oh c'mon, can't we be friends?"

"I'm not saying that," he said quickly. "I just don't want to be babied. That's all that my parents do." I smiled at him.

"I promise that won't happen on this trip. If it does, you have my permission to tell either Steven and I off." He paused. "We just want to make sure you get there safe. There's nothing better than being with the champion and I."

"What's your name?" He uncrossed his arms and stepped up to me. Then he held out his hand. "I'm Wally." I took his hand in mine and shook it. He was warm and his hands were soft.

"I'm Sapphire. It's nice to meet you." I added a warm smile to the end of it. The young boy smiled back, suddenly at ease with himself. There was no telling how he was raised, but it must've been somewhat like being in a bubble all the time. In a way, maybe he and I weren't so different. Maybe we could get along just fine.

Steven tapped the side of my arm, an indication that it was time to go. I straightened and nodded at the mother and father in turn. They nodded back, tears welling in their eyes. Wally saw and sighed in frustration. They then proceeded to hug him and kiss him all over, telling him what a great and amazing young boy he was. He returned the compliments like he had been rehearsing. Then we stepped out of the pokemon center and proceeded back on the road. Wally's parents waved goodbye, blowing their noses into some tissues, and headed back in their house, where I guarantee they were in each others' arms, crying.

Steven looked down to Wally. "Do they worry a lot for a reason?" he inquired. Wally blew air through his mouth.

"They worry way too much," he answered. "I'm just fine. I can take care of myself." He paused. "Thank you for taking me there, anyways. I don't know the route too well." It wasn't the real reason, but Steven accepted it.

We had just exited Petalburg when a sea breeze wafted through the air and shuffled our clothes. The salty breeze tasted like the ocean I had never seen. Yet as soon as we traveled out far enough, we were greeted by a sandy beach that was occupied by several Wingull that cawed angrily when the breeze caught them again. The ocean behind them was calm, clear, and gorgeous. The only thing disturbing the deep blue waters was a boat perched next to a house, and it was too beautiful to really categorize it as a disturbance. Watching it roll over the waters with amazing grace was almost hypnotic.

Cinder jumped from her ball and started charging towards the wingull on the beach, scaring them with a blast of fire before the bird were forced to retaliate with a barrage of water guns. The fire chicken pokemon was forced to retreat, squealing in delight. She was quite courageous, I'd give her that. When she was back at my feet, she jumped into my arms, cuddling under my chin. The wingulls saw her get to me and flew away, making annoyed faces as they left.

Wally inhaled the air through his nose and breathed it out, exalted. "I'll miss Petalburg while I'm in Verdanturf," he admitted. "But they say it smells even nicer there. Lots of flowers and grass and trees." Steven agreed with a nod.

"Oh, I almost forgot." The champion pulled a pokeball off his belt and handed it to the young boy, who took it with awe spread evenly across his face. "It's a ralts. Norman thought you'd like it, and your parents agreed you needed protection."

"No way!" the boy shouted in excitement. "I've always wanted my own pokemon! This is the greatest day ever!" He threw the ball and a ralts appeared. The psychic and fairy type looked around, confused, then saw Wally, who approached it with a hand in front of him to show he didn't mean to harm it. It was like watching too magnets stick together. The instant those two touched hands, they grabbed each other in a warm hug. It was a match made in heaven.

After we finished watching our fair share of the beautiful sea and our pokemon running about, we headed northwards. I saw it right from the ocean: Petalburg Woods. It was a deep and dark forest that could often get confusing if an inexperienced trainer wandered into it without a guide. Luckily Steven knew his way through.

I hadn't noticed it before, but when we left Petalburg, Wally walked between Steven and I. Now he was on my side and Wally was on my other. He really meant was he said when he wanted me to walk by his side at all times.

We entered the wood and were almost immediately enveloped in darkness. It was bright enough to see where we were going, but if any pokemon were in our path, it would be hard not to disturb them. Luckily Ralts and Cinder could take on anything that came their way without much issue. It took some practice, but soon Wally and I were double battling like professionals. We could take on hoards of pokemon without having to talk about which moves we needed to use. We just went out and did it. The thrill of battle enveloped us both, and soon we were taking on pokemon that hadn't challenged us.

Wally laughed and attacked a taller pokemon that was hiding out in the brush. Ralts' screech hit it dead on and the pokemon came running out into the open, where it tripped over a vine and hit the ground, hard. When the light was right and we could see what it was, it turned out Wally hadn't attacked a pokemon but instead a human.

"Sorry, mister!" Wally ran forward and began to help the man up. But as soon as he touched him, the goon dressed in dark blue grabbed the kid by the throat and lifted him into the air. Steven and I were so stunned that we almost didn't react when the man, in his goofy uniform, tossed him to the side. Wally hit the ground and fainted, the wind from his lungs taken.

Steven ran forward and grabbed the man by the collar, where he held a pokeball to his face in challenge. I ran over to Wally and lifted him into my hands. Thank goodness! He was breathing just fine. He was also pretty light, I could carry him if the time called for it. He was bleeding from the cheek, however. I managed to pull up my sleeve and cover it to stop the slow flow before it got any worse.

"Hey, I remember you," the goon said to Steven. He knocked the pokeball out of his hands and grabbed the champion by the collar as well. The two of them started fighting over control of each other which ended with them grabbing hands and pushing on each other to try and overtake their balance. The man in the blue hood smiled at him. "You're the guy I nearly drowned in rain. How'd you survive that anyway?"

Nearly drowned Steven in rain? What was he talking about? I saw him pull out a blue ball from his pocket, which Steven immediately made a grab for. The goon managed to get it out of his reach just in time. "Ah ah ah," he tormented. "If you misbehave I might just use this again."

"Get the orb, Sapphire!" Steven hollered. "Get the orb away from him!"

He didn't need to say any more. I set Wally against the trunk of a tree and charged at the man. As soon as I got close, he tried to put Steven in my way, but I managed to avoid hitting him and roundhouse kicked the fool in the face. Taken by surprise, he dropped the orb. Steven made a dive for it and caught it right as the goon fell to the Earth.

I grabbed the mans' hands and pinioned them behind his back, where I used a pair handcuffs Steven had given me to contain him. He turned to look at me from an awkward angle.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked with a lisp. I must've broken some of his teeth.

"I'm the girl who just took you down," I answered, finishing locking him up and getting up. Steven stepped to my side and looked down at the man, obvious hate in his eyes. "What was he talking about?"

"The night I ended up on your doorstep was the night he used this," Steven explained, holding up the blue orb, "to make it rain cats and dogs." I stared at it. That thing? Making it rain so heavily? "I don't know what it is either. I'll get it to Dad in Rustboro. He can examine it and tell us what we need to do with it."

"I'll tell you what you need to do with it," the goon said. From this angle, it became apparent his jaw had been kicked slightly out of place. "Give it back before I break your arms. I'm not afraid to kill the two of you."

"From the ground?" Steven asked, skeptical. "I'd like to see you try." He had just finished speaking when two other people dressed in blue jumped us. I automatically rolled the one that tried to jump on my back, throwing her right on top of the goon we had already apprehended. She landed on him hard, knocking the wind out of him. She looked up to me and I kicked her in the stomach. She fell backwards, right into another bush. She was pretty skinny. Her black hair had more volume than her entire body weight. Even when she found herself at my feet, she was adjusting her cute blue outfit. I stared at her. She was wearing more makeup than clothes and had enough of a spray tan to go as a carrot next halloween.

Steven was quarreling with a much different character. He was almost twice as tall and nearly three times as muscular. He had torn the torso of his uniform, so all he wore were some tight-fitting shorts. He picked up Steven by the arm while the champion kicked at him pointlessly. It was when I jumped forward and kicked him right between the legs did the thug fall with a great thud and a barrage of curses. No pair of handcuffs could hope to wrangle this guy, so Steven pulled out a gun and aimed it at him.

"Shelly, retreat!" the giant roared. The girl I had knocked over stood up with some difficulty. I tried drop kicking her, which was probably a bad idea. She grabbed me and threw me into the trees, where I found myself tangled.

"Right behind ya, Matt!" she called back, darting towards Rustboro. I had just gotten myself free when Steven grabbed me and halted me from chasing after them. They scurried into the sunlight that led out of the woods, where they were lost. I turned to Steven, confused.

"You did well," he praised. "Better than me, actually." I let my stance fade and met his eyes.

"Why did you let them go?" I questioned. "We were winning." He tilted his head slightly.

"You must know that even if we apprehended the girl, Shelly, then the giant wouldn't hold back about hurting us. In a sense, we were outnumbered." His eyes glanced towards the goon on the ground. His eyes were spinning after being landed on by Shelly. I wasn't sure if he was actually hurt but just savoring the touch of the overly-hot woman. "They didn't mind to lose this guy. Must mean they were either selfish, or higher ranked."

He walked over and pulled the man up by his cuffs. "You're coming with us. I hope you talk as well as you get caught." The man, who had snapped out of his trance, blew his lips.

"Team Aqua doesn't talk," he said, rebellious.

"So you're part of Team Aqua?" The goon paused, realized his mistake, then shut his trap for good. "That's what I thought. Sapphire, can you get Wally?" I nodded at him. But when I turned around, Wally wasn't at the tree the man had thrown him against. He was standing up to me with crossed arms, eyes lowered. Steven and I froze in place.

"What are you guys doing?" he asked, voice cross. "I thought pokemon trainers were supposed to battle, not fight and arrest one another." I sighed through my nose.

"It's really nothing worth mentioning," I argued. "They attacked us first."

"Sounds to me like Steven has seen this guy before." The green-haired child held up the blue orb Steven had taken from him. The champion blinked in surprise, then searched his person for the same item. It turns out that Wally was quite the sneaky pick pocket. "And this doesn't really look like a normal item to be carrying around."

"Hey, kid," the Aqua goon hissed. "Be careful with that thing. Touch it the wrong way and you might just sweep us all away." Wally stared at him. There was a part of him that wanted to test it to see if he was right, but the better side of the child knew better. He put it in his pocket.

"Are you guys some sort of special cops?" Steven and I froze at his words. "I won't tell anybody, I just want to know."

"No, we're just cops." Steven kicked the Aqua grunt in the back of the heel and we were on the road again. I followed by Steven's side, watching the grunt out of the corner of my eye. Wally followed on my other side, eyes on the ground.

"I want to know more about what's going on," Wally pressed. I glared at him.

"We're cops. This guy is bad. That's the end of it." He wasn't satisfied at all by the answer.

"Then this orb is just some stolen gem right?" Wally pulled it out of his pocket. Steven handed the perp to me and made a grab at the boy. Nimble on his feet, the young trainer managed to avoid his grasp and get further down the road. "Oh, so it isn't a normal ball, isn't it?"

"Give it here, Wally," Steven warned. "It's police business. You wouldn't understand."

"I think I'd understand just fine," he replied, polishing the orb on his jacket. He examined it closely. "This sign on here… I've seen it before. They taught us about it at school…" Steven made a grab for it again, but Wally was quicker. He managed to get further down the road and turn back to us. "It's some sort of pokemon that needs this thing, right?"

"Gah, you three are annoying!" The grunt, held by his cuffs, looked Wally right in the eye and began talking. "The pokemon's name is Kyogre. It's the pokemon of the sea. That orb right there, once we get it near her, will awaken her from a deep slumber. We plan to use her to overflow this petty region, if not the world, in water." We all stopped. Steven turned from Wally back to the goon. "You heard me right, Stone. That orb there is pretty important. If you don't want to be killed, I recommend you give it back."

"Who are Team Magma?" Steven questioned.

"C'mon, man. I told you enough already. Just let me go."

"No." Steven grabbed him by the collar. "You will tell me what Team Magma has plans for as well." The grunt sighed.

"Alright. I guess the cat's outta the bag anyway." He shrunk away. "Dude, back off. I'll tell ya once you get a good distance out of my face." Steven did as instructed. "Ok, so at the beginning there was one team. We didn't have a name, we were still young and reckless. We found two orbs, that one right there, and another one that's red. When we got the orbs, fights broke out, and the team split into two: Team Aqua and Team Magma. We took the blue orb to raise Kyogre and flood the land. Team Magma took the red orb and wants to raise Groudon, who they hope can burn away all the oceans and instead make this petty region nothing but a giant land mass."

I looked to Steven. He was processing this heavily. Wally was in the background, holding the blue orb even more carefully than before. The goon spat some blood out of his mouth. "Choose to believe me or not: it's the truth. And it's all I know. Can I go now?" Steven raised his hand, silencing him. He looked to me, asking with his eyes what to do. It filled me with pride to be the one to make a decision.

"Take him back to Rustboro," I advised. "He may not know anything else, but he knows how to use the orb. We'd be just playing with fire if we tried to figure that thing out on our own." Steven nodded in agreement. Wally walked up to his side and quietly slipped the ball into his hand. The champion ruffled his hair and put the orb in his pocket.

"C'mon," the guy begged. "I don't know as much about it as you think."

"You're the best we got," I said. "C'mon, we're heading to town. If you fight, I'll take you down." Steven pulled up to my side and handed me a gun while Wally and the goon weren't looking. I think he was beginning to trust me more and more.

And I was really liking it.


End file.
